Treating Addicted Survivors of Trauma Book

Adult and adolescent survivors of childhood abuse and other traumas often struggle with addictive disorders, yet most helping professionals are ill equipped to deal with dual problems. Providing the tools professionals need to help this population, this book systematically integrates mental health paradigms with disease models of addiction and combines psychotherapeutic techniques with 12-step recovery practices. The result is an easy-to-replicate model for the effective assessment and treatment of this often difficult-to-treat population.In often transfixingly painful detail, this book uses the extended composite clinical examples to demonstrate how to treat a particularly challenging population--addicted survivors of trauma and abuse, usually endured during childhood.Current surveys suggest that the experience of childhood abuse in this country is rampant, approaching rates of 1 in 4 for women and 1 in 7 for men in the general population. Substance abuse or dependence is an important part of the clinical picture for a substantial proportion of these survivors. As the authors caution, "unless treatment deals with the chemical abuse or addiction, treatment of the person's survivor issues will most likely be ineffective. Conversely, treating only the addiction of individuals with serious survivor symptoms is also likely to be unsuccessful."Bringing a wealth of clinical experience and an equal measure of compassion to bear, Evans and Sullivan offer an innovative synthesis of mental health paradigms, disease models of addiction, psychotherapeutic techniques, and 12-step recovery practices. The end result: a replicable five-stage model for assessment and treatment that addresses "the synergism of addiction and trauma."For each stage--crisis, building skills, education, integration, and maintenance--Evans and Sullivan have developed goals (ranging from maintaining immediate safety and health in the crisis stage to maintaining recovery and preventing relapse in the maintenance stage)...indicators...and an extensive repertoire of interventions (safety contracts, counseling and groups, help in boundary setting, managing negative feelings, recovery materials and workbooks, desensitization therapy, healing ceremonies, grief work, and many more). Throughout the often long and difficult journey, whether in individual or group work, the motto is always "safety first."Recent year have seen a tremendous growth in our ability to treat the person with either a history of childhood abuse or a a problem with chemical dependency. But not both. Treating Addicted Survivors of Trauma effectively fills that gap.Read More